A series of civil wars and repeated invasions by Germanic tribes caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Following the end of imperial authority, several Germanic tribes struggled against each other for control of territory. The Franks became the dominant power in Gaul, but Greater Frankia repeatedly broke apart during wars between rival claimants for the throne. Finally, Charlemagne united the Franks, and greatly expanded the size of the kingdom. However, his grandsons proved unwilling to share the empire, and divided it...
A series of civil wars and repeated invasions by Germanic tribes caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Following the end of imperial authority, several Germanic tribes struggled against each other for control of territory. The Franks became the dominant power in Gaul, but Greater Frankia repeatedly broke apart during wars between rival claimants for the throne. Finally, Charlemagne united the Franks, and greatly expanded the size of the kingdom. However, his grandsons proved unwilling to share the empire, and divided it in 843, laying the foundations for France and Germany. Episode Thirty-five explains that Charles decided that the empire would be divided among his three sons Charles the Younger, Pippin and Louis, although most of the empire would go to Charles because he was the eldest. Sadly, the lack of a clear successor led to a coup against Irene, who was replaced by Nikephoros, a former bureaucrat. Faced with threat of the Bulgars, Nikephoros led an army against them, but marched into a trap, and was killed along with most of the imperial army. While the Franks were expanding east, they also had to deal with Benevento, since duke Grimoald had promoted himself to prince.
Cast of Characters:
Charles-king of the Franks and the Lombards
Pepin the Hunchback-Charles' eldest son, illegitimate
Charles the Younger-Charles' eldest legitimate son
Pippin-king of Italy, Charles' second-eldest legitimate son, formerly Carloman
Louis-king of Aquitaine, Charles' third-eldest legitimate son
Al-Hakam I-emir of Cordoba (796-822)
Grimoald III-prince of Benevento (788-806)
Irene-empress of the Eastern Roman Empire (797-802), co-empress (792-797), regent (780-790) and empress consort (775-780)
Constantine VI-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (780-797), son of Irene
Nikephoros I-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (802-811), formerly finance minister
Staurakios-co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (811), son of Nikephoros
Michael I-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (811-813), Nikephoros' son-in-law
Krum-khan of Bulgaria (803-814)
Harun al-Rashid-caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (786-809)
Sources:
Charlemagne-Derek Wilson
Charlemagne: Father of a Continent-Alessandro Barbero, translated by Allan Cameron
Charlemagne-Johannes Fried, Translated by Peter Lewis
Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800-Jeff Sypeck
Emperor of the West: Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire-Hywell Williams
King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne-Janet L. Nelson
The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe-Pierre Riche, Translated by Michael Idomir Allen
The Frankish Kingdoms Under the Carolingians, 751-987-Rosamond McKitterick
The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders-Peter Heather
The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 to 1000-Chris Wickham
Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries-Barbara M. Kreutz
Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe-Judith Herrin
The Popes: A History-John Julius Norwich
Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy-Roger Collins
The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825-Thomas F. X. Noble
The Early Medieval Balkans-John V. A. Fine, Jr.
Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain-Brian A. Catlos
God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215-David Levering Lewis
Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus-Hugh Kennedy
Image Credit
By Unknown author - [1] 'Grandes Chroniques de France, Mandragore, BNF, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=723625
